The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams have agreed to square off in an international contest for the NFL in 2018—this time in Mexico City.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams were announced as the third and final game to be played in Mexico City as part of the National Football League’s original three-year agreement to bring the sport south of the border. The good news for the NFL, however, is that the set-up has worked so well that the NFL recently announced another three-year run starting in 2019.
For next year, the Chiefs will head to Mexico City as the “road” team as the Rams are being credited as the host. That’s great news for all parties involved on the Chiefs side. For Clark Hunt, it gives the Chiefs a chance to extend their brand into a massive new market (Mexico City itself has a population nearing 9 million), yet the fans will also enjoy 8 full games at Arrowhead instead of having to give one up, a la the Rams.
It’s official: @Chiefs vs @RamsNFL in Mexico City, 2018!
— NFL (@NFL) January 31, 2018
¡¡Es oficial!! @RamsNFL y @Chiefs jugarán una nueva edición de #NFLMéxico este 2018. https://t.co/98uEwweuCN
Hunt provided an official statement in response to the NFL’s announcement in a prepared release.
"“We are thrilled to be a part of the NFL’s international initiatives once again, and we are excited to face the Rams at historic Estadio Azteca this fall,” said Hunt. “The support for the NFL in Mexico has grown significantly since our initial trip in 1996. We look forward to returning to Mexico and connecting with a new generation of fans this season.”"
Hunt mentioned the Chiefs initial trip in 1996. That was a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys in Monterrey, Mexico, the team’s first international trip of any kind. In that game, the Chiefs dominated the Cowboys in a (meaningless) 32-6 win.
The game in Mexico City will be the fourth international showcase for the NFL this fall. Although no one quite knows when these games will be played specifically until the schedule is revealed later this spring, the reality is that the game is enjoying a nice surge of global attention and popularity with the Mexico City exhibition series as well as the three regular season games in London each year.